According to a report from Strategy Analytics, the Samsung Galaxy S3 was the best-selling smartphone in the world in the third quarter, surpassing even Apple’s iPhone 4S.

Here’s a look at the market share from the firm:

“Samsung’s Galaxy S3 smartphone model shipped 18.0 million units worldwide during the third quarter of 2012,” Neil Shah, Senior Analyst at Strategy Analytics, said. “The Galaxy S3 captured an impressive 11 percent share of all smartphones shipped globally and it has become the world’s best-selling smartphone model for the first time ever.”

“A large touchscreen design, extensive distribution across dozens of countries, and generous operator subsidies have been among the main causes of the Galaxy S3’s success,” Shah added. “Apple shipped an estimated 16.2 million iPhone 4S units worldwide for second place, as consumers temporarily held off purchases in anticipation of a widely expected iPhone 5 upgrade at the end of the quarter.”

“Samsung’s Galaxy S3 has proven wildly popular with consumers and operators across North America, Europe and Asia,” noted Neil Mawston, Executive Director at Strategy Analytics. “However, the Galaxy S3’s position as the world’s best-selling smartphone model is likely to be short-lived. The Apple iPhone 5 has gotten off to a solid start already with an estimated 6.0 million units shipped globally during Q3 2012. We expect the new iPhone 5 to out-ship Samsung’s Galaxy S3 in the coming fourth quarter of 2012 and Apple should soon reclaim the title of the world’s most popular smartphone model.”

And just think. Some are already talking about iPhone 6 release dates.

You can get the full report here.